One of the first things I realized when I started working on my capstone project in early 2017 is advances in technology weren’t always going to make the project easier. That became abundantly clear when I tried to track down Bob and Tracy Keller’s phone number. Ironically, that would have been much easier 20 years […]
Webb: A tough call in ‘Goodbye, Butterfly’ Read More »
“If the death penalty had been Kansas law that day, he would probably be on death row at this very moment.” It’s a quote from Bob Keller 30 years ago that I included in “Goodbye, Butterfly: Murder, faith and forgiveness in a small Kansas town.” The line is in Chapter 16, “A Nobel Fight,” which
The death penalty and its role in ‘Goodbye, Butterfly’ Read More »
Why am I here? I often asked myself that at the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010. I’d just moved to Tulsa, the last stop in a nomadic journalism career that included six newspapers, four states, nine cities and 12 residences in 11 years. Some of that frantic journey was about working my way
Tulsa plays an important role in ‘Goodbye, Butterfly’ Read More »
Brenda: Today’s a big one. You know that, of course – you would have celebrated your 45th birthday. It only seemed fitting to make an important announcement to celebrate: My book about your life is close to becoming reality. After seven years of research and writing, we have a tentative release date of August 2024.
Webb: Happy birthday, Brenda Keller Read More »
“It really shouldn’t be this difficult to find somebody named James Danny Hollingshead.” I think this virtually every time I renew the search for my late father’s best friend, a man who he had not seen for nearly 50 years when he died in 2019. It’s also a man who he thought enough of that
Twelve Days of Christmas, Part XII: The ongoing search for James Danny Hollingshead Read More »
Good old Lebanon, Missouri. White outlining this year’s Twelve Days of Christmas, it occurred to me that I write about that city a ton in this space, especially during this series. It also occurred to me that it makes sense. This series is all about nostalgia. While Joplin is my official hometown (as is the
Twelve Days of Christmas, Part 11: Don’t call me Al Read More »
One of the things that stinks about getting older is how small all the big things from your youth become. That entered my mind today as I thought about Hillcrest School in Lebanon, Missouri. For most of us, elementary school becomes routine when we’re kids. From kindergarten through fifth grade, you’re in the same classroom
Twelve Days of Christmas, Part 10: Welcome to the jungle (Hillcrest) Read More »
Tis the season … for Casey’s top 40 countdown, arcades, movies at the mall and an endless run of 1980s pop music. That’s what I’ll always remember when I think about Christmas with my mother. In particular, the Dec. 17, 1988, edition of the American Top 40 is lodged in my memory. That school year
Twelve Days of Christmas, Part IX: Mom and Christmas Read More »
Have stained glass or leather, will travel. That described a big part of my brother and I’s youth as the children of parents who owned a small crafting business. The only way to survive financially in the early years was for both parents to do shows nearly every weekend, so we typically hit the road
Twelve Days of Christmas, Part VIII: Thank you, Hannibal Read More »
Hey, Brenda. Long time, no talk. I’d normally apologize for not writing sooner, but I know you see everything now that you’re on “the other side,” as your father once referred to it. I think of you and your family this time of the year. Christmas was a big event for your family, a tradition
Twelve Days of Christmas, Part VII: A letter to Brenda Keller Read More »